A MUM has seen the cost of sending her son to school nearly double after a new company took over his bus route and raised charges.

The change has hit youngsters using the 18 and 19 routes from Oxford to Bampton and Witney to Carterton respectively.

Alma Tumilowicz used to pay £33 a month to send 17-year-old Stefan Cottrell-Tumilowicz to Henry Box School, in Witney, with Stagecoach.

But this has risen to £150 for three months since Witney’s RH Bus Company took over the service last month. The ‘scholar pass’ is for school children only.

Now the fed-up mum is having to buy £24 passes from Stagecoach for some school journeys as the RH pass is not permitted during weekends or holidays.

Mrs Tumilowicz, 58, of Alvescot, near Carterton, said: “I know this isn’t important, but money is quite tight at the moment.

“When I heard how much I was going to have to pay, I honestly felt sick. I am so angry because parking prices keep rising and we are being told to use the Buses to cut down on CO2 emissions.

“But it’s so expensive that you actually want to have a car just for the convenience.”

The Stagecoach S2 bus is a longer route home and, unlike the RH bus, does not drop him outside his home.

Mrs Tumilowicz said: “So now I’ve paid for a multi-ticket with Stagecoach too.

“The old pass let him get around at weekends and in holidays. Sometimes he has dentist’s appointments or things like that – but now he can’t.”

Hugh Jaeger, chairman of Oxford’s Bus Users UK, said: “This is the first time I’ve heard of RH Buses charging more than Stagecoach.

“Buses come up for tender every three years, and RH put in the best bid to the county council so they are now in charge of that route.

“I guess it’s up to them what they charge, but I’m surprised the prices would have gone up.”

RH Buses said there was no-one available to comment. It won the contract for the route from Oxfordshire County Council.

County council spokesman Owen Morton said: “Bus companies are entitled to set their own rates for season tickets on subsidised services, which means they can vary.

“However, the county council does require companies to ensure that these are in line with standard fares on other services they may operate.”